Cephisodorus the Comic Poet (Κηφισόδωρος ὁ κωμικός) was an Athenian comic poet active in the late 5th and early 4th centuries BCE, during the transition from Old to Middle Comedy. The Suda records him as a contemporary of Strattis and notes at least one dramatic victory [1]. His career likely spanned the end of the Peloponnesian War and the subsequent period of social change in Athens.

Only two plays are securely attributed to him: Amazones (Ἀμαζόνες) and Trophonius (Τροφώνιος), both now lost [1]. Although the Suda credits him with six plays, other ancient sources cite only these two titles.

Cephisodorus represents the fragmentary record of comic poets bridging Aristophanic and later comedy. His mythological subjects reflect a broader 4th-century shift away from political satire toward mythological burlesque. His recorded victory indicates contemporary recognition, though his works did not survive antiquity.

Sources 1. Suda On Line (The Stoa Consortium): https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-entries/kappa/1125 (Entry for "Cephisodorus," citing the Suda's mention of his victory and the number of his plays).